book of Deuteronomy Archives - Page 2 of 2

How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 29

This is our 3^rd foray into the book of Deuteronomy:

9.Where and how to worship God and live by His laws in the Promised Land:

“…you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to establish His Name there for His dwelling [place], and there you shall come [to worship Him]. There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive (pledged, vowed) offerings, your freewill (voluntary) offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. And there you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and rejoice in all to which you put your hand, in which the Lord your God has blessed you. Dt. 12:5 – 7. AMP

This is the first time that Jehovah has spoken of having a central place of worship, that He would personally choose.

Then, Moses warns them of mixing God-centered worship with the paganism of the Canaanites.

“…do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’ You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.

“So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.” Dt. 12:30 – 32. NLT

God tells Moses to warn the Israelites from being led astray by false prophets who indulge in paganism, not to listen to family or friends who do not honor Jehovah, and not to live in a town with pagans. (See Dt. 13:1 – 17.)

How best to avoid all that?

“The Lord your God will be merciful only if you listen to his voice and keep all his commands that I am giving you today, doing what pleases him.” Dt. 13:18 NLT

Moses now shifts from the worship of pagan gods to individual pagan practices:

“Since you are the people of the Lord your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead. You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.” Dt. 14:1,2. NLT

Many of the Canaanite pagans mutilated themselves with knives, whips, and tattoos to mourn the dead and during other pagan rites. This is clearly prohibited by Jehovah. You can’t mix ‘holy’ with ‘pagan’ and still be a child of God in good standing.

Note too that the description of the Israelites is now ‘people of the LORD your God’, indicating a greater intimacy between Him and His ‘chosen’ people.

Next, Moses teaches of the foodstuffs that are acceptable (kosher) to eat. (See Dt. 14:3 – 21). It is basically the same rules that God gave through Moses in Lv. 11:1 – 30. (See the 23^rd post in this series.)

Continuing, Moses shifts to ‘tithing’ of the same produce, which was to be eaten in the presence of God:

“You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.” Dt. 14:22, 23. NLT

How does this teach one to fear (revere) God? It is because it builds faith in Him that He will always provide, and to honor Him as the source of all good things.

God provides a caveat, allowing those who live too far to transport large crops, to sell the tithe portion for money:

“…you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the Lord your God has chosen.When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want—cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household. And do not neglect the Levites in your town, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.

“At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.” Dt. 14:25 – 29. NLT

God is a caring and compassionate Creator. And He wants you to take great joy in His provisions as a token of His love and abundance.

Continuing with His expression of love, provision, and compassion, Jehovah introduces the ‘Sabbatical Year’:

“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release (remission, pardon) from debt. This is the regulation for the release: every creditor shall forgive what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not require repayment from his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed.” Dt. 15:1, 2. AMP

Every 7 years, debt from personal loans was to be forgiven, to give everyone a chance to start over. But that’s not the whole story:

“However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will most certainly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you will listen to and obey the voice of the Lord…” Dt. 15:4, 5. AMP

(You see that the eradication of poverty is dependent upon obedience to God’s word. Given the tendency of human nature to disobey, that optimum state was never achieved.[1])

“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need…Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.” Dt. 15:7, 8 & 10. NLT

Moses then talks about freeing the slaves (indentured servants) in this same year. (See Dt. 15:12 – 18.) It pretty much mirrors Ex. 21:2 – 6. (See the 19^th post of this series.)

God is all about keeping His children close to Him and displaying their gratitude for His provisions. In this vein, He reminds them to keep the festivals that Moses has taught them (See Ex. 12:1 – 13:5 in the 16^th post of this series; Ex. 16:23 – 29 in the 17^th post; Ex. 23:14 – 17 in the 19^th post).

Those festivals include Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths /Tabernacles. (See Dt. 16:1 – 16.) Now, they would be celebrated in God’s place of worship of His choosing.

Given how God wants us to emulate Him, next time we’ll find out how live a just life…

Goodnight and God Bless.

[1] Dt. 15:11; Mt. 26:11

How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 28

In our first look at the book of Deuteronomy, (see the 27^th post in this series), we saw how Moses revealed God’s commands for how to keep Him in His children’s remembrance.

Why did he do that? It’s because Moses knows that when you obey God, your life works, and you receive His promises. (He also knows that if you don’t love Him, your motivation to obey Him doesn’t carry much weight.)

“The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” Dt. 6:10 – 12. NLT

But what if you don’t obey?

“You must fear the Lord your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name.

You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, or the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.” Dt. 6:13 – 15. NLT

Not a pleasant outcome by any means. Thus, obedience to our Creator is paramount, just like it was to the second-generation Israelites:

“Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to give your ancestors. You will drive out all the enemies living in the land, just as the Lord said you would.” Dt. 6:18, 19. NLT

5.Propagating God’s word to the next generation:

“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’

“Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’ Dt. 6:20 – 25. NLT

6.Keeping Your Religion Pure:

Moses warns God’s children of the imminent dangers of the pagans who currently populate the land of Canaan:

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you are entering to possess, and has cleared away many nations before you…seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall not make a covenant (treaty) with them nor show mercy and compassion to them.You shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter for your son; for they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled and burn against you and He will quickly destroy you.” Dt. 7:1 – 4. AMP

What must they do, then, to aide themselves in this endeavor?

You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles (idols of a Canaanite fertility goddess) and burn their idols. Dt. 7:5 NLT

And at the heart of why God wants the Israelites to carry out these things, is to preserve the loving bond He wants to bless His children with for all eternity:

“For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

“The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him.” Dt. 7:6 – 10. NLT

“If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors. He will love you and bless you, and he will give you many children. He will give fertility to your land and your animals. When you arrive in the land he swore to give your ancestors, you will have large harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and great herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. You will be blessed above all the nations of the earth.” Dt. 7:12 – 14. NLT

This applies to both Jews and Christian alike. For though Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with respect to world population, they, like the Jews, are still a minority.

Jehovah encourages His children:

“…do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, the strong hand and outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you fear.” Dt. 7:18, 19. CSB

“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna…to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Dt. 8:2, 3. NLT (See also Mt. 4:4)

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking.” Dt. 8:7 & 9. NLT

“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God who rescued you…” Dt. 8:11 – 14. NLT

“Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.” Dt. 8:18 NLT

7.Jehovah has your back:

“Listen, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky! The people are strong and tall—descendants of the famous Anakite giants.” Dt. 9:1, 2. NLT

“…recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.” Dt. 9:3 NLT

Moses then goes on to tell the people that it was not that the Israelites were such good people that they would prevail against the Canaanites; (indeed, God called them a stubborn people). It was because God was dispossessing the Canaanites for their wickedness; and because He was keeping His promise to the Patriarchs.

Again, Moses reviews all the ways that the Israelites have previously angered Jehovah; and he sums up to them how they can shed their stubbornness against Him:

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.” Dt. 10:12, 13. NLT

8.Call to arms and blessings:

“Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have strength to go in and take over the land you are about to enter. If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey!” Dt. 11:8, 9. NLT

He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early [fall] rain and the late [spring] rain, so that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your [olive] oil. And He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Dt. 11:14, 15. AMP

“Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall become yours; your territory shall be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea (the Mediterranean). No man will be able to stand before you; the Lord your God will lay the fear and the dread of you on all the land on which you set foot, just as He has spoken to you.” Dt. 11:24, 25. AMP

Moses has now finished his preamble for entering Canaan, and for conquering it. Next, he will speak about God’s instructions for how to live there in a godly fashion, and how-to set-in place proper worship…

Goodnight and God bless.

How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 27

Deuteronomy

Introduction:

The word ‘Deuteronomy’ is taken from the Greek Septuagint word Deuteronomion, which means ‘second law’ or ‘second teaching’. From the Hebrew elleh haddebarim, meaning ‘these are the words.’

A ‘second teaching’ because this book was written and presented to the second generation of Israelites to teach them how to have a relationship with their holy Creator. To do that, the people had to follow the number one principle in the entire Bible, they had to obey their God. What must they obey? His laws.

Therefore, they must learn them. Moses was their teacher, who was Holy Spirit – inspired to write and speak for God. He presented all of Jehovah’s laws in the Torah thus far. Thus, Deuteronomy reads like one grand covenant for the people to keep with their God. Moses wrote it in approximately 1405 B.C., just before the Israelites would cross the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land (Canaan).

It would be up to each successive generation of Israelites to pass the ‘book of the law’ down to their immediate descendants.

Deuteronomy is one of the most quoted books of the Old Testament within the New Testament. Christ Himself cited it repeatedly. It is also the first book of the OT that commands God’s children to love Him.

1.Connecting the dots:

These are the words that Moses spoke to all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. They were camped in the Jordan Valley… Dt. 1:1 NLT

This introduction to Deuteronomy could not have been written by Moses unless God equipped him with a prophetic vision. Most biblical scholars suggest that it, and the epilogue of Deuteronomy that describes his death, to be authored by Joshua. Why? Because Moses never went to the Promised Land.

The author goes on to tell us that it only takes 11 days to journey from Mt. Sinai to Canaan, but because of the sins of the first generation of the Israelites, they were punished with 40 years of wandering in the desert. After the Israeli defeat of King Sihon and King Og, Moses addressed the people. (See Dt. 1:2 – 5.)

Moses begins with a historical recap of how God told His children to break camp at Mt. Sinai and journey to Canaan – the Promised Land that Jehovah swore to give to His people. (See Dt. 1:6 – 8.)

He continues, by reminding them of how he picked leaders from each tribe, to free him up from all their simpler judicial needs. Moses recalled the bad report from the spies he sent to Canaan to get a feel of the lay of the land; and of the people’s rebellion – necessitating the punishment of the wandering through the wilderness. Moses himself was punished by preventing him from entering the Promised Land. (See Dt. 1:9 – 46.)

Regardless of the punishment, God still saw to the people’s needs:

For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.”’ Dt. 2:7 NLT

Moses retells their journey to Moab and of their God-given victories over King Sihon and King Og. (See Dt. 2:9 – 36; Dt. 3:1 – 11.). Moses allotted these conquered kingdoms to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manesseh. (See Dt. 3:12 – 20.)

Bringing his chronicle of the people’s history up to date, he ends with his passing of the baton to Joshua, and with Jehovah’s refusal to let Moses into the Promised Land:

“At that time I gave Joshua this charge: ‘You have seen for yourself everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. He will do the same to all the kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan. Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you.’ Dt. 3:21, 22. NLT

“At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said…’Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’

“But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more. But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River.’ Dt. 3:23 & 25 – 27. NLT

2.Importance of obedience:

“Now, O Israel, listen and pay attention to the statutes and the judgments (God’s legal decisions) which I am teaching you to do, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you.” Dt. 4:1, 2. AMP

“Look, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may do them in the land which you are entering to possess. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God [is to us] whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation has statutes and judgments so righteous (upright, just) as this whole law which I am placing before you today?” Dt. 4:5 – 8. AMP

So then, our knowledge of, and our obedience to, God’s word imbues us with the divine wisdom of life and brings us closer to Jehovah, through righteous behavior. It makes people take notice of God’s children and sets us up for effective evangelism.

“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’

“You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while flames from the mountain shot into the sky. The mountain was shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness. And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice. He proclaimed his covenant—the Ten Commandments—which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets. It was at that time that the Lord commanded me to teach you his decrees and regulations so you would obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Dt. 4:9 – 14. NLT

The Israelites had an up close and personal visual experience of Jehovah’s manifestation of His power, and they heard His words. Yet He was formless.

Note that God wants us to fear Him (to deeply revere Him.) He wants us to obey His laws – especially when He knows that His children will be exposed to the paganism of the existing Canaanites. So, Moses segues right into warning the people of the temptation of idolatry. (See Dt. 4:15 – 20 & 23.) And he adds a severe penalty:

The Lord your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God. Dt. 4:24 NLT

Moses then prophesies about future events that will come upon Israel when they forsake their Father:

“Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

“In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors. Dt. 4:26 – 31. NLT

This would indeed come to pass when Israel did submit to idolatry and embraced moral turpitude. In response, God allowed the Assyrians and later the Babylonians to conquer and enslave the Israelites. However, He will mercifully forgive the transgressors if they return to their covenantal relationship with Him.

3.One God:

“Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. Dt. 4:32 – 34.

“He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other. He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today.

“So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” Dt. 4:35 – 40. NLT

Moses gathers the people again and repeats the Ten Commandments for this second generation of Israelites. (See the 18th post in this series for a previous in-depth discussion of the Ten Commandments.)

4.Meshing with God:

“Now this is the command; the statutes and the judgments (precepts) which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you might do (follow, obey) them in the land which you are crossing over [the Jordan] to possess, so that you and your son and your grandson may fear and worship the Lord your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], to keep [and actively do] all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, so that your days may be prolonged. Therefore listen, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly [in numbers], as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.” Dt. 6:1 – 3. AMP

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one [the only God]! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand (forearm), and they shall be used as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Dt. 6:4 – 9. AMP

So, you can see that Moses is trying to position the people to be equipped with reminders to always keep Jehovah in the mind and heart. And what is their reward for their diligent pursuit of God? Next time!